Electricity substation can double in size

The proposals are part of National Grid's plans to improve energy infrastructure

Energy bosses have been given permission for an electricity station to double in size to allow more offshore electricity to be transmitted onshore.

South Norfolk Council has approved plans for a major expansion of the Norwich main substation, near Dunston, close to the A47 and A140.

The 12-acre (five-hectare) extension would roughly double the size of the infrastructure on the site, in a bid to increase its capacity to take in power produced by new wind farms off the Norfolk coast.

The proposals form part of National Grid’s plans to improve energy infrastructure across the region, along with the controversial Norwich to Tilbury pylon scheme.

Adrian Chanter, a spokesperson for the company, said: “The way we generate electricity in the UK is changing rapidly and so must the network of pylons, cables and substations that transport it around the country.

“This is fundamental to supporting the growth of residential and commercial developments and ensuring that everyone has access to clean electricity from these new renewable sources.”

Electricity generated by offshore wind turbines will be transported via the new substation

National Grid said it was expanding the substation to support new offshore windfarms, including Hornsea Three and Equinor’s Sheringham Shoal and Dudgeon, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The company has not revealed the cost of the scheme, but said immediate funds would come from shareholders and borrowing, with the cost passed to customers through electricity bills over the next 40 years.

Construction on the extension is expected to begin in September and will feature similar equipment to the existing substation, with no new overhead lines built.

National Grid’s pylon plans have been strongly opposed with communities in south Norfolk – and elsewhere along the line – resisting the proposals.

They argue the 114-mile (183km) line from Norwich to Tilbury will harm the countryside, and are calling for more of the route to run underground or for it to be moved off the coast, to run along the seabed.